


Sumo's Donuts

by sichi



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M, cole is alive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 08:11:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19390066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sichi/pseuds/sichi
Summary: For the past ten years, Connor has made his living working at a crepe restaurant he and his younger brother Niles opened together. The last ten years had been peaceful. Until a donut shop opened next door. Angry about this new change, Connor approaches the owner of this new place. Turns out? He’s a total babe, and Connor becomes immediately smitten. Will this be a match made in heaven, or will they have to deal with a lot of crepe to make it work? Donut worry, everyone will work out in the end!2019 Big Bang Fic! Rated T for language.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is my 2019 BB fic! It's been a long journey, and thank you to my wonderful artists, halbird (tumblr @) and Megan (twitter @c0ffee_gremlin) !!! Please check out their AMAZING work!!!
> 
> Halbird drew the piece of them meetings (second picture), Megan drew the other two and the dividers!

The morning air was crisp, the sun just rising enough to be able to see outside. Hank has always been an early riser, and this morning’s alarm went off at the same time it usually did.

Except instead of having to get into his car and drive to work at the police station, he’s driving to work at his new restaurant.

It was a silly idea at first; something his son had mentioned in passing. “You’re a cop, dad. Cops love donuts! And you have grandma’s recipe, you should open up your own shop!” Cole had said, excitingly shoving another donut into his mouth.

Now, six months after that conversation, it was opening day.

The shop was a tiny place in a shopping center. It was the location on the end of the building, with nothing but a bakery next to it.

He didn’t worry about possible competition. Plus, his was more of a ‘donut shop’, while the place next door was more ‘cafe’. He had checked it out on Yelp; apparently, it’s been around for ten years, and it is run by two brothers. Hundreds of people checked in and rated it five out of five stars, so it must be pretty impressive.

The crepe place next door being busy could only mean good things for his business. Who knows, someone might be craving greasy balls of dough rather than a french delicacy.

Hank had spent all of yesterday preparing the store for its grand opening. Dough was prepped, everything was sparkling clean, and a banner waited to be hung on the outside. At the moment, it was just him working at the store, until he could figure out how many people ne needed to help him out.

He figured, once everything kicks off, he could hire more people to help him out, so he could spend more time with his kid. After all, he retired for that purpose. But Cole was ecstatic when he found out about his father’s business plan. It was his idea, and to see it come to life was amazing. The twinkle in his young child’s eyes while he talked about the future of his restaurant was completely worth it.

Cole was drowsy in the back of his car, phased by waking up at the crack of dawn. His eyes were struggling to stay open, but he tried to concentrate on watching the outside of the car. He had not seen his dad’s business since they first bought the property, and Hank was excited to see his face when he saw the outside.

The sign was big and lit up, reading, “Sumo’s Donuts” in several colors, a rainbow of sorts, with a graphic of a St. Bernard next to it. Hank had originally wanted to name the shop after his son, but he just rolled his eyes. “Cole’s Donuts? That’s lame, dad.”

So they came up with this name together, naming it after their dog Sumo instead. That way, they could tie in a cute mascot with the mix. Cole had drawn it himself, and the sign lit it up just so. Cole excitedly looked out the window, and tried to open the door before his father had completely parked the car.

“Jeeze, hold it kid! Wait until I stop the damn car.”

As soon as the car was in park, Cole darted out of the car and stood in front of the building and looked up. He had his hands on his hips and was smiling.

Hank locked up the car and stood next to his son, “So, what do ya think?”

Cole looked up, still smiling, “It looks legit! I can’t believe that’s my drawing up there!”

It was good to see Cole excited about something. Raising a child on his own was no easy task, and he felt his son’s early years had slipped past him too quickly. Working overtime on top of a grueling forty-hour work week was not the best way to see your son grow up. But he had good schooling, food on the table, and a day or two each weekend he was not on call to spend one on one time.

He also hoped that his son would eventually forgive him for his neglect. Maybe in time, and maybe with enough positive memories to overshadow the negative ones.

“Come on, let’s go inside. We have a lot of work to do.”

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141457797/in/dateposted-public/)

Four AM, the alarm went off.

He hit the snooze button only once, but ended up getting out of bed after two minutes anyway.

He showered, he brushed his teeth, he put on the outfit he picked out the night before. He threw a large pillow at his brother’s head to wake him up, and threw something together for breakfast. An omelette with random peppers he had in the fridge, and some cheese.

Connor Stern had a routine for everything. His morning home routine, his morning cafe routine, his lunchtime routine, etc. It helped him to keep a list in his head and check it off as he went through his day. He rarely missed anything, and if he did, he usually blamed it on the lack of sleep, or perhaps too much wine the night before.

But he rarely let himself indulge. His business meant everything to him. His younger brother and him opened it up when Connor was only twenty-one years old, and Niles twenty, and the past ten or so years have been dedicated to just that. Not college educated, bouncing around from foster home to foster home, the brothers had everything counting against them. It meant the world to Connor to know that he built himself up from nothing.

He and Niles shared a small apartment in downtown Detroit, and they managed to pay the rent on time. Business was booming, and the men were going to chase that high until it eventually came down.

The brothers even made it on the cover of some local magazine for ‘best Crepe cafe in Detroit’. The article had been a full two pages gushing about how amazing the food was, and how attractive the brothers were.

He couldn’t make it through the article without being embarrassed. Still, he hung up the cover towards the front of his store.

Today was an ordinary Saturday morning. The menu was the same since he changed it two months ago, and other than his normal morning prep, there was nothing much to do that morning. Niles came out of his room looking slightly more awake and accepted half an omelette and a cup of coffee from his brother.

“Rough night?” he said in passing. Niles just glared at him and said nothing. “Fine, I won’t pry.”

Niles was now busy reading what looked like text messages on his phone and just sighed, throwing his phone on the couch. He started to eat his food in silence.

Connor and his brother were close. You don’t survive foster care without having some sort of consistency, and his brother was it. They were never separated, thank goodness, and Connor knew he could count on his family to be there for him.

It was getting harder recently, and he didn’t know why.

He assumed it was because they were in their thirties, and they were still living and working together. They had no self identity, and it was starting to bother Niles.

But either way, they still had bills to pay and a business to run.

The men hopped in Niles’ car and drove in silence.

Things were not bad, but Connor wished his brother would at _least_ talk to him more.

He was all he had. And that itself was enough to upset Connor.

Pulling up to the complex, Connor immediately noticed a new bright sign up next to his shop. It read ‘Sumo’s Donuts’, and had a cute dog drawing next to it.

“ _Donuts?_ ” Connor said under his breath, but with enough sound to get Niles’ attention.

“Ah, so that’s what went up next door. Was wondering what it was going to be.”

Niles and Connor had a joke that the vacancy next door was in a haunted unit of the building. Every time a shop, restaurant, or business went in, they were out just as fast. “It’s like the defense against the dark arts teaching in Hogwarts. Something bad always happens and they’re replaced each year,” Niles said once.

And it was true. Before this new shop, there was a little old lady who sold a variety of soap. She was robbed from her entire stock in one night. She closed down the place a week later.

Before her, it was another set of brothers with a gyro shop. Food poisoning.

And before that, it was some sort of sandwich shop. No one ever exited with food, though, and Connor once saw police escorting several men out of the place in handcuffs.

So, needless to say, Connor wasn’t exactly worried about this new place being competition. Although, donuts _were_ similar to crepes, in the sense of they were both considered sweet treats. It was like an ice cream shop opening next to a smoothie place. Not the same, but, close enough.

A man was standing outside with a child, looking and pointing up at the sign. Connor wondered if this was the new owner. They went inside before they exited the car, Connor keeping his eyes on the man and the child.

He figured he probably wouldn’t even get to meet the owner anyway. It was rare that he did, and it usually was a short lived friendship anyway. No point in getting attached to something that would exit his life in no time.

Connor was going to do like he did every day and follow Niles into their cafe through the back, but for some reason he was still staring at the older man in the front of his new donut shop.

Although the dim lights of the parking lot did nothing to help see the man and his features, Connor could tell he was big. Tall, heavy, and from the looks of his greying hair, older.

Niles sighed, noticing his brother’s pause, “We have a lot of work to do, Connor.”

“Coming,” Connor said, having to tear his eyes away from the stranger in the parking lot.

“You can introduce yourself later, after breakfast when it slows,” Niles said, waving at his older brother to follow.

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141365116/in/dateposted-public/)

Hank had read lots of books about business. He even took an online class on how to start up a small business. He thought he was ready for anything that was thrown in front of him. You don’t survive 30 years in law enforcement without being able to think fast and on your feet.

But hungry customers were a whole new enemy, which Hank did not know existed until this very day.

He had been prepared for this morning for a few months now, and anticipated a small crowd. He had put some ads out in the paper and online, even made a facebook (Cole had to help) and had a few likes already.

The shop opened at 7am, which drew in maybe one or two stragglers. His first customers were a pair of construction workers that knew about this place because their job was across the street. Hank thanked them, and felt pride as he received his first paying customer.

By 9am, the building was at capacity. Cole was put to work by taking the fresh donuts out of the oven and laying them to cool, while frosting the cool ones and walking out with them so the new crowd of people would be able to actually buy something.

And by 11am, Hank had completely sold out of the donuts he had intended to sell that day. He high fived his son, who’s new apron was covered in icing and a variety of sprinkles.

“I can’t believe it dad! We’re sold out and it’s so early!”

Hank could tell this job was not going to be easy, but seeing how happy his son was in this moment made all the future early mornings worth it.

As Hank counted the till and Cole was sweeping the tiled floor in the dining area, the front door bell rung in response to being opened.

“Oh, sorry, we’re closed-” Hank looked up to see a young man holding a styrofoam container. He was dressed in a button up shirt and nice jeans, with a spotless apron on his torso. Hank had seen this man briefly this morning, getting out of his car and standing there in the middle of the parking lot, staring awkwardly back at him.

“Oh, hello, sorry to interrupt.” the man approached the front counter, waving at Cole as he walked by him, “My name is Connor. I am the head chef at the creperie right next to your shop. I thought I would come over and introduce myself.”

Hank shoved the money he was counting back in the register and put his hands on his hips, “Ah, Connor. I’ve heard a lot about your place. Was a little skeptical buying a place adjoining one of the best cafes in Detroit.”

Heat rose to the young man’s cheeks as he avoided eye contact with Hank, “Oh, thank you, that’s very kind of you to say. Uh,” he set the styrofoam container on the counted, “I brought you some of my speciality crepes. For you and your, uh,” he gestured to Cole.

“Son, thank you,” Hank took the contained and popped open the lid. It contained two fairly large nutella crepes with bananas, strawberries, and blueberries, and Hank could smell that they were very fresh.

“Oh, crepes! Thank you Mr. Connor,” Cole had snuck past the adults and under Hank’s arms to grab the contained and head for a table he had just cleaned off.

“You’re welcome,” Connor said with a smile.

“My name is Cole,” he said, talking with his mouth full, “And my dad is Hank.”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Connor said, extending his hand towards Hank.

Hank took it and shook his hand briefly. For someone who worked in the kitchen, Connor’s hands were very soft. And much smaller than his.

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141392498/in/dateposted-public/)

  
  
  
To avoid awkward lingering, Hank let go of his hand and stuck them in his pockets, “Well, it’s good to meet a fellow small business owner. I’m new at this myself, so I hope to be half as successful as you someday.”

Hank could tell the kid was either not used to compliments, or was flustered by Hank’s presence. Either way, making him blush was fastly becoming one of Hank’s favorite hobbies.

“My brother and I have been doing this for over ten years now. From the looks of this morning, I’m sure you’ll do great.”

Hank had always been a good judge of character. Connor seemed to be sincere with his words.

Another ring at the front door. Hank sighed, “Cole, can you please lock the damn door--”

“Aw, that’s no way to greet a friend, old man,” Gavin Reed, Hank’s ex coworker, walked up to the glass display case that would have had donuts in it.

“Didn’t you open this morning? I came to get some donuts, but this place is empty. What gives?” Gavin looked up at Hank, and then Connor, “Oh, hey Connor.”

A pause. Hank looked at Gavin, and then Connor, “You know him?”

Connor rolled his eyes, “He dated my brother.”

Hank belted out a laugh, “Oh, I am _so sorry_.”

Their new guest scoffed, putting a hand on his chest to look hurt, “Fuck off, Anderson. I’m here to support my friend, and now you’re just laughing at me?”

Connor frowned, “Niles doesn’t want to see you, Gavin, so I’m not sure why you’re bothering.”

“Pfft,” it was Gavin’s turn to roll his eyes, “as if I wanted to see that lanky brother of yours. I’m obviously here to support my good friend, Hank.”

Three sets of eyes just stared at Gavin in silence. Cole, who essentially did not know what was happening, stifled a giggle.

“Okay, so, maybe, it wouldn’t be _so_ bad if I _happened_ to run into your brother…”

Hank recalled Gavin and his mysterious boyfriend. He was not one to talk about personal stuff at work, and the only reason why anyone knew he was dating someone is his mood changed significantly. His outer appearance even improved; less bags under his eyes, hair always on fleek, always looking at his phone and smiling.

He assumed he left before shit went down, and he’s glad for it. Gavin is not a pleasant person to be around in a good mood, he couldn’t imagine him post breakup.

Hank glanced at Connor again, who, despite his current scowl, looked fantastic. It was a shame his now competitor was good looking. It would make it harder for Hank to not rub it in his face when he ended up stealing their customers.

It’s not like the kid deserved it though. He and his brother seemed like good people from first glance, and they _have_ been on the scene for a number of years.

“Well, Gavin, you have shitty timing. We’re all sold out for the day.”

“Already?” Gavin almost looked impressed, “Damn Anderson, you should have done this a while ago. It looks like your business is a step up from your police work.”

Connor’s eyes widened, “You were a police officer?”

“Lieutenant,” Hank added quickly, glaring at Gavin, “So are you here to just be an asshole today or what? Because I’m currently closed.”

“Alright, fine, I’ll go. Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow to actually taste some of your dough.” Gavin walked over to Cole and high fived him, “Later little dude, later Anderson, later not Niles.”

Connor rolled his eyes as Gavin left the store without another word. Hank sighed and went to lock the door.

“Uh, anyway…” Hank rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

Connor rubbed the palms of his hands on his clean apron. “Well, I should get out of your hair. I’m sure you have much prep work to do, and Niles will kill me if I’m gone for too long…”

“Right, right,” Hank unlocked the door again. “Cole, say thank you to Mr. Connor.”

Cole scoffed, “I already did _dad,_ but thank you Mr. Connor.”

“Please, just Connor is fine, and you’re very welcome.” Connor smiled at Cole as he disappeared into the back room.

“You should pop in sometime. I would love to try some of your... _dough_...eventually.”

Hank laughed, “Sounds good, I’ll stop by when I have time to go up for air. I have a feeling I’m going to be buried in, _dough_ , for a while.”

“That sounds about right. Don’t fret, once you both get a system it’ll become easier,” Connor put his hand gently on Hank’s bicep, “and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.”

Connor brushed past him through the front door and waved before Hank lost sight of him.

For enjoying seeing the kid blush, it was now Hank’s turn to be flustered.

“Hey, dad, if you’re done flirting it up over there, I could use your help.” Cole said from the doorway of the back room.

“Hey, how does a kid your age even know what flirting means,” Hank made sure the door was locked again before walking towards Cole, throwing a random towel at his face.

“Please, dad, I’m not eight anymore. I’m practically a man.”

Hank held up a finger, “Don’t even _joke_ about that, please stay an innocent kid for as long as possible. I’m already dreading your teenage years.”

It’s not like Hank was dreading raising a teenage boy, but doing it alone was daunting. His wife had left when Cole was a baby. She never wanted to be a mother, and after Cole was born, Hank just assumed she would get over her fears and wiggle herself into the role slowly.

She went to the station one day, claiming to say hi to Hank with Cole. His boss at the time, Fowler, saw her in the hallway and offered to get him for her. She nodded, and asked if he could hold Cole while she used the bathroom.

Eight years later and she still had not returned to pick up Cole, or even see him.

She was last on his radar when she popped up on Gavin’s ‘friends you may know’ on facebook. “I see your ex is having fun in Hawaii,” he had said, showing him her profile picture.

He took Gavin’s phone and threw it across the room, storming out. Gavin had just left the broken screen bill on his desk and decided not to talk about it anymore.

But Cole was now Hank’s everything. It was the main reason for leaving the job he cared about so much. Being a single parent and a cop don’t mix well. He was grateful for the people who stepped in when his wife had left, and he owed so much to them. Especially his younger sister, who would watch Cole while he was at work.

Emily was a stay at home army wife with a son of her own, but it didn’t matter how easy it was for her to watch two boys instead of one during the day, it made a huge difference.

But now that Cole was nine, or, as he so put it, _practically a man_ , Hank wondered if maybe he should start back into the dating scene.

Friends at work would hound him about it all the time, especially Detective Tina Chen, who volunteered to be his wingwoman at a bar of his choosing.

“I’m good Anderson, I’m _really_ good. If I can get Gavin a date, then I’m practically a goddess. Just call me Aphrodite and we can get started.”

He had never taken her up on her offer, but was thankful that someone had faith in his ability to even attract someone to want to go out with him.

He didn’t even know why he was thinking about this again. He had a new shop, his kid was happy, his life is fine. There’s no need to muddy it up with a messy relationship, especially with a person so young, with such brown eyes…

Hank shook his head and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“You okay dad?” When Hank opened his eyes, his son was covered from head to toe in flour.

“Jesus kid, what did you do?”

“Well, while you were spacing out and being emo, I thought I would try and reach the flour by myself…”

Hank sighed loudly, “You’re going to be the death of me, kid.”

“Nah, you love me too much.”

Hank rustled Cole’s blonde curls, causing the flour to puff up into the air, “Damn straight, and don’t you forget it.”

  
[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141457797/in/dateposted-public/)

By the time Connor walked back into the cafe, Niles was already standing at the front with his arms crossed, his permanent resting bitch face at full effect.

Connor said nothing, just walked behind the counter and made himself look busy by starting to clean the espresso machine.

“You were gone for almost a half an hour.”

Connor threw up his hands, “Oh no, how did you survive without me! The line is practically out the door!” He gestured to one man in line, who looked behind him, then back at Connor. 

“Sorry about that, my brother is an idiot. How many I help you.” Niles said to the customer, who still looked confused.

Connor stepped close to his brother and said, very softly, “Your man is friends with our neighbor and stopped by to say hello,” before retreating to the kitchen. He heard his brother cuss before the door swung shut.

Niles poked his head through the window from the front to the kitchen, “I need a Prosciutto Sunrise, please, and can you please elaborate?”

“On what?” Connor said innocently, fetching the prosciutto and eggs out of the refrigerator.

“Don’t be coy with me, yes ma’am I’ll be with you in one second,” he poked his head back in, “I want details. I also want to know how your interaction went with handsome man meat over there.”

Connor was mid egg crack when he heard the words, _man meat_ and hit the egg too hard against the counter, causing it to explode and get all over his once spotless apron.

“Dammit Niles!”

He heard his brother’s laugh from the other side of the window.


	2. Chapter 2

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141457797/in/dateposted-public/)

“You should ask him out, you know.”

Being an introvert had its perks. By not wanting to be outside, or anywhere but his home, Connor often saved money and had the time to explore hobbies from the safety of his own home. However, he was sometimes dragged out (physically, at times) by his small friend group.

There was North, college dropout turned tattoo artist, who he had met through his friend Markus. Markus and him had been friends since high school. And there was Josh, who Connor had met through Simon, who was currently dating Markus…

“I don’t know, North. He has a kid, and he’s probably got a lot more on his mind than wanting to date someone like me…”

Simon slammed a hand on the wooden table. He was...just a tad bit drunk. “Someone like _you_ ? You mean, someone kind, and cute, and thoughtful, who happens to be a good cook and an _excellent_ businessman? Someone…”

Markus put a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Chill, babe, it’s okay. Connor is just using self deprecation to divert the attention to his faults instead of giving us more detail on how hot his new neighbor is.”

Everyone except Connor laughed, “Hah, so funny. How about we divert the conversation to Josh getting a new class, huh? That’s neat.”

“No, not fair Connor. We already celebrated that last week. This week is all about you and your repressed feelings.”

“I do not…” Connor was obviously outnumbered. This is why he doesn’t go out. Ever.

“Aw, it’s okay Connie. We just all appreciate the fact that you’re talking about another person other than your brother. It’s cute.” North flagged down their waitress, “Next round is on me, lads. Can I get another pitcher, love?”

The waitress smiled and nodded before walking away.

“Anyway, I don’t necessarily think you should give up cause he has a kid and is older. Was he wearing a ring?”

All eyes were on Connor at the moment, and everyone was silent, save for the person singing a horrible karaoke rendition of TLC’s “No Scrubs” in the background.

“No.”

Simon clapped, “Excellent!”

Markus just shoved a glass of water in the blonde’s hands to make him stop.

“Well there ya go. You think he’s hot, he thinks the same thing, don’t look at me like that it’s a fact, and you could come up with _so_ many excuses to see him. Oh, Hank, I thought I saw smoke coming out of your shop! Just kidding, it’s you. You’re hot. There!”

Markus put his face in his hands and shook his head. Simon and Josh just laughed.

“Yeah, thanks for the advice, but I need to get up in like, six hours, so…” Connor got up and threw some cash on the table.

“Hey, Connor,” Josh said, wiping his eyes from the tears that were forming due to the laughter of North’s bad jokes, “Listen, we tease, but it’s because we love you and want you to be happy.”

Connor smiled weakly, “Yeah, I know, it’s just so...new and scary.”

Markus softly kicked him from his seat, “You got this, and we’re just a text away if you need advice.” he points to North, “Maybe leave this one out of it.”

“Suit yourself, you’re missing some prime advice over here,” North said, winking at the waitress who leaned over to put a pitcher down on the table.

“I can see that.” Connor gave the waitress an apologetic look. She just shrugged and slid a receipt over to North.

“I’ll see you all next weekend for Simon’s birthday,” Connor waved to everyone before making his exit. The gang said their goodbyes, and Simon struggled to get up so he could hug Connor for an awkward two minutes before Markus pulled him off of him.

“Hah! Fuck you guys,” North waved the receipt in the air, “She put her fucking number on it!”

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141365116/in/dateposted-public/)

  


Hank and Cole’s first week of opening the shop went by just a tad rocky. Not expecting as much of a crowd their second day of being open, they made the same amount of donuts, hoping it would last all day. It didn’t. Word was spreading quickly around Detroit, and people were lining up for Hank’s secret family recipe.

At the end of the long week, Hank decided to hire a woman named Kara to help out with the store. Cole was helpful, but a kid can only do so much. The summer is only so long, and it’s only a matter of time before he has to go back to school and spend less time at the shop.

Kara was a shy woman, someone who was looking for a part time job to get herself out of the house while her daughter was in summer camp. Although shy, she seemed nice enough, and knew her way around a kitchen, which is all Hank really asked for.

Plus, she was available to start Monday. And he was desperate.

“We should make bagels.” Cole said, shoving a donut hole in his mouth. It was another early morning, and Hank was teaching Kara how to use some of the equipment in the back.

“We can barely hold it together with just donuts, and you want to add something to the menu?” Hank said, amused.

Cole shrugged, “I don’t know, seems legit. They’re both round food with holes in them. Can’t be hard to make, right?”

Hank shot his son a stern look, “Maybe if you stopped eating half of the inventory, we’d spend less time baking and more time coming up with your grand bagel plan.”

Kara smiled, “I’m glad Alice is at camp, otherwise I’m sure she’d be here eating half of the inventory as well.”

Cole rubbed the powdered sugar from the donut on his pants, “She sounds cool.”

“She’s very cool.” Kara smiled again. Hank was glad someone could manage to smile that much at this hour.

“Okay kids, enough chit chat, let’s get to work.”

The next week went by smoothly, with significantly less hurdles than the previous week. Cole only dropped one tub of batter instead of two, and Kara handled a disgruntled customer with little trouble.

At the end of the week, Hank finally had some free time to himself to think and relax. Cole was at his mom’s for the weekend (he begged him not to go, which gave him just a little satisfaction), and he had absolutely nothing to do.

Locking up the store front, Hank noticed Connor’s crepe shop was still open. It was 4pm on a Friday, which seems a little late for a breakfast place.

A part of him screamed to just walk to his car, drive home, and be a vegetable on the couch the rest of the afternoon. But he hesitated. Seeing Connor again was...very appealing.

Sure, the kid was attractive. Doe like eyes, a fresh haircut, a smile to die for...but who was he kidding. He was in his fifties, had an ex wife and a son...not the most appealing of men. He’s sure Connor, if he was even _in_ to men, would probably like someone his own age.

Though, the young man _did_ seem to get flustered around his presence…

His hand hit the other shop’s door handle before his brain could even register it.

A bell chimed, one similar to his stores, but a higher pitch, and Connor and his brother turned around simultaneously. It was almost eerie, like seeing two Connor’s. Hank knew about his brother, he just didn’t expect them to look so similar. His brother was a tad bit taller, with piercing blue eyes as opposed to his brother’s brown ones.

The reason for the cafe still being open was now apparent; several people were sitting at the tables watching a woman with long auburn hair sing softly into a microphone and playing the guitar. She wore blue jeans with more holes in it than necessary, and a worn out The Smiths t-shirt. Her voice was soft but had a kick to it, and she was playing something either Hank didn’t recognize, or it was something of her own.

“Uh, hey.” Hank said, turning away from the singing woman, approaching the counter.

Connor was all smiles. Hank noticed a mole on his face that he never noticed before. And how nice his teeth were, and his smile…

“Hi Hank!” Hank snapped out of it.

“I had some free time and figured I’d stop by. What’s uh...going on?”

“That’s North. She sings here Friday and Tuesday afternoons. Her full time job is a tattoo artist though, and she’s very talented.”

Hank turned to look at the young woman again. Although she was wearing a jacket with long sleeves, enough of her arm was showing, and lots of tattoos were in view.

“Are you going to order something?” Connor’s brother asked. He looked at Hank, then turned to look at a woman standing by him, presumably waiting in line to order food.

“Oh, shit, yeah, sorry, I’ll just get a black coffee.”

“That’ll be $2.87…”

Connor batted his twin away from the cash register, “I got this, Niles, go ask that woman what she wants.”

He shrugged and moved to the other end of the counter.

Hank pulled out his wallet but Connor shook his head, “Nonsense Hank, it’s just a black coffee. Take a seat and I’ll bring it out to you.”

Hank froze, “Connor, I can’t, you--”

The younger man pointed to what appeared to be the only open seat available in the sitting area, “Sit.”

Hank chuckled, “Yes sir,” he fake saluted, then pulled out a couple of bucks from his wallet and put it in the tip jar anyway.

Connor pouted and Hank chuckled again.

The empty seat was a single couch in the corner, and the small cafe seemed to be even smaller filled with so many people. North ended her song and everyone clapped.

Hank watched as she fiddled with her guitar. She looked up, as to start her next song, but looked directly at Hank and made eye contact. She grinned widely.

It was an odd facial expression coming from someone he has never met, and he found himself avoiding eye contact immediately.

Connor’s timing was impeccable, walking in front of the awkward eye contact that North was trying to give him. “Here’s your black coffee. Extra boring. Did you want anything else?”

“Nah, thanks though. Actually…” Hank handed Connor a small box, “I brought you these. They’re fresh, don’t worry. You were nice enough to give us some crepes so I thought I’d return the favor.”

Connor opened the box and found two donuts, one plain and the other with pink frosting.

He paused, eyes not leaving the donuts.

“Uh, I didn’t know what flavor you liked, and I figured maybe your brother would want to try one…”

“They’re perfect, thank you Hank.” Connor closed the box.

“I’m sure they’ll be the best donuts you’ve ever had. I mean, they’re no fancy crepes, but I hope you like them.”

Connor snorted, “Crepes are made out of three ingredients, they aren’t fancy or hard to make. I’m sure you could probably make a replica of mine and sell them at your store within a day.”

In the background, North was playing the guitar very softly, and she was not singing. Hank happened to look around Connor at her and she was just...staring.

“Connor, look around. Your cafe is packed at 4:30 in the afternoon on a Friday. That’s pretty impressive. You’re too hard on yourself.”

The brunette’s face was bright red. He took a deep breath, and paused like he was having trouble finding a way to compile his words.

Hank was going to say something stupid to fill the silence, but Connor opened his mouth first, “You know, I bet a donut isn’t that hard to make either.”

Hank blinked. Was this the kid’s way of flirting, because, he was not very good at it.

“I mean…” Connor rubbed the back of his neck, “I was…”

“Listen kid,” Hank started, “I’ll make you a deal. A competition of sorts.”

Connor raised his eyebrows, “Oh? What did you have in mind?”

Hank pointed at the box in Connor’s hands, “If donuts are _so easy_ to make, how about you try it yourself?”

The young man was bright red again, “That’s not what I--”

Hank put a hand up, “And I will try to mimic your equally easy crepes. Sound good?”

This was Hank’s way of getting to bond with Connor, no matter if it was a childish way of doing so. Connor smiled, “Oh, yeah, I can do that. That sounds fun, actually.”

“Great!” Hank took a sip of his neglected coffee on the table. It was now lukewarm, but Hank had other pressing matters at hand.

“What will I get if I win?” Connor asked softly with a cheesy grin on his face.

The coffee Hank was drinking almost went down the wrong pipe, which caused him to cough harshly. People in neighboring tables started to stare.

“Hah, well,” Hank put the coffee cup down on the table and composed himself, “If _I_ win, which I will, you’ll have to...clean up my shop after we close for a full week.”

Connor just smiled again, fiddling with the box in his hands, “A fitting punishment. But if I win,” Connor stepped closer to Hank and leaned forward, lowering his voice, “you have to take me out. On a date.”

Hank was glad he was no longer nursing his coffee, because he’s sure he would have had another coughing fit. His mouth dropped open a little. “You’re...you’re serious?”

It wasn’t often where Hank was asked out. Sure, it happened, whether it was at work by suspects who probably didn’t actually mean it, sometimes from drunk bar patrons, or moms from Cole’s class. This felt...different. Hank was not brushing him off, ignoring him, or politely declining his offer.

He would have been stupid to turn down his offer. Offers like this came once in a blue moon.

“I am.”

“Well, shit, okay Connor, you’re on.”

“Great! Let’s have them ready by tomorrow night. I hope you’re prepared to lose.” Connor gave one last smirk, winked, and walked away with a pep in his step.

Hank was definitely prepared to lose, both because he truly believed Connor could out bake him, as well as Hank knowing full well he’s going to half-ass his crepe to get the chance to go out with the younger man.

Hank didn’t realize how long he had been staring off into space, because before he knew it, his coffee cup was cold, and North was done with her gig. She was now mingling with people at a table, and she managed to look at him and give him a thumbs up before he shuffled out of the door before he could embarrass himself anymore.

  


i did it you guys

NORTH  
  
dude!!!!!!!!!!! I fucking saw it with

my own eyes!!!!!!!!!! I’m so proud

of you! :)))))

Dr. Josh  
  
you finally asked him out?

yep. it was terrifying

but i turned a friendly bet

into a competition

which ends in me winning

and him being my prize :)

Marky Marc  
  
no shit??? Congrats man!!! When’s  
the date

dunno yet, we’re meeting up

tomorrow after closing

I’m supposed to make a donut

which i don’t know how to do

Simon  
  
Omg

It’s fine

Google exists

I’ll figure it out

NORTH  
  
Best of luck friend!!!!

Text us after and give us deets :)

Ugh

NORTH  
  
:)))))

Dr. Josh

Proud of you Connor, this is a big  
step towards getting yourself out  
of your box!

NORTH

Okay mr. therapist. Maybe connor  
just wants to get some

Marky Marc

North shut it. This is an exciting  
moment.

NORTH  
  
just saying, I saw the man in real  
life. Connor has the right idea.

Simon

What’s he like?

NORTH

BIG.very big. just. huge. I’m pretty  
sure you could tape two of me together  
and it wouldn’t equate his stature.  
dreamy eyes. his hair looked soft.

guys what the fuck i put my phone  
down for two seconds and have like  
30 messages to look at.

and...really north

Simon

yeah north you don’t even like men

NORTH

hey i can still find them aesthetically pleasing ass wipe

but connor

am i lying about anything though

….i mean...no, that’s spot on

NORTH

see

Simon  
  
Omgggg I’m so excited connor…  
we could double date! Maybe  
finally go to the aquarium,

I’ve been wanting to go for ages

Marky Marc

Slow down there babe, let the  
man actually ask him out first.  
And /i/ can take you to the aquarium

Simon

Okay :)

...anyway i gotta look up how

to make a donut and make one

like. Tonight. So.

NORTH

Swwwweeeeeet. Literally. :)  
Good luck love….text us after!!!!!!!!!

Will do :)

Brother >:(  
  
Connor did you seriously add  
me to this group chat  
I’m going to stab you

Simon

Kjfhoiduhfoishodi

NORTH

omg is niles in here hosuhfodiuf

fuck

\---you left the group chat---

Connor threw his phone across the couch. Talking to his friends about the situation calmed his nerves, even if they didn’t give actual advice. Now was the time for the difficult part: making a donut that was good enough for Hank to accept him as the winner.

He relocated to the kitchen and opened his laptop on the counter. His apartment was not much to be desired; he had just enough furnishings to live off of, a small television, and a few random objects that were gifts from friends. Simon complained every time he was over, and tried to bring something new to add to his decor. The last time he brought a house plant, which was currently dead and sitting on the windowsill of the large window in his kitchen.

Although his brother was his roommate, you wouldn’t know that two people lived in the house. The only personalized touch Niles put on the place was a picture of him and Connor at their high school graduation, framed, sitting on one of their bookshelves. Connor smiles everytime he remembers his brother insisted on that picture.

Markus and him had been roommates for some time, but when Simon came into the picture...it complicated things. While he loved Simon, his space became smaller living with three people in a small two bedroom apartment.

Now he lived in the same two bedroom apartment, only a five minute walk from the cafe. It had large windows, an upgraded kitchen, and wood floors, which were the only features Connor really cared about.

He opened up his recipe app and found one for a basic glazed donut. He was sure he could throw in extra ingredients in there somehow to spice it up a bit. Some chopped up hazelnuts and cinnamon might do the trick.

Connor turned on his music and got to work.

After a shitty night’s rest and a busy day at the cafe, Connor realized the day’s end was approaching, and his hands started to sweat. He became quiet and worked fast to distract himself from what might be a very awkward interaction with his handsome work neighbor.

And, of course, his younger brother picked up on his mood swing immediately. He didn’t say anything at first, just watched him like a hawk from a distance.

“Can you stop, Niles. Your eyes are burning a hole in my skull.”

He wasn’t looking directly at him, but Connor could tell his brother rolled his eyes, “Just curious as to why you’re so nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

“You’re literally sweating through your shirt, and I haven’t seen you work this fast since that one famous pastry chef made a surprise visit.”

Connor dropped the cloth he was holding and turned around, “I’m fine. I’m meeting with Hank tonight.”

Nile’s eyebrows raised, but the rest of his face seemed emotionless, “Oh.”

“Yeah. We made a friendly bet, I made a donut and he is supposed to make a crepe.”

“That’s...odd.”

Connor shrugged and turned back to cleaning the counter. He moved past Niles to go out and sweep before locking up for the day. It was just past six, and everyone had vacated the cafe except for the brothers.

A minute later, Hank knocked on the front door and gave a small wave, holding a box in his other hand.

“Well I’ll leave you to...whatever this is.” Niles sighed and walked out the back door without another word. Connor frowned. He would have wanted Niles to at least be happy he’s trying to have a social life outside his regular group of friends, but his brother wasn’t one for friendly chats about their feelings.

Most people believe Niles to have no emotion at all, but Connor knew better. He knew it when Niles spent three days on the couch crying over the fact that he himself broke up with Gavin. When Connor tried discussing it, he would just pretend to sleep or cry harder.

Connor yelled, “One sec!” and ran towards the door to unlock it.

Connor’s sweet specimen was still in the back refrigerator, but he had no time to retrieve it before Hank walked in and threw his box on one of the empty tables.

Hank opened it up hastily to reveal a very, very sad looking crepe. It looked like half of it was not even cooked properly, and had no toppings or additional ingredients whatsoever.

“Is this…” Connor paused, looking up at Hank to find him grinning. “...oh.”

“I lost.”

“It appears you have.” Connor chuckled and crossed his arms, matching Hank’s smile.

“Are you free next week? Maybe on a weekday, say, Wednesday?”

Connor couldn’t believe this. He had not always been the most successful person in the dating world, whether it was his own doing or others didn’t seem interested. He had a very handsome man asking him out, and seemed sincere about it.

“Yes, Wednesday would be fantastic.”

“Well, then, I will uh, see you then.”

Hank slowly made it towards the door, and Connor had to stop him. He grabbed his upper arm softly.

“Wait...Hank.”

Hank paused, looking worried, “Yeah?”

“Can you...at least, _look_ at the damn donut I made.”

Hank barked out a laugh and rubbed a hand over his face, “Geeze, okay then, show me what you got.”


	3. Chapter Three

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141365116/in/dateposted-public/)

Hank could not remember the last time he went on a first date. Even with his ex wife, they had known each other before they started dating, and never had those ‘first date’ jitters. 

So now here he was, a middle aged single dad, holding up two shirts in the mirror, sighing with stress.

“Cole!” Hank shouted. His son walked in moments later.

“Ugh, don’t tell me that I have to help you pick out an outfit for your date.”

Hank turned around and frowned, “I just need your opinion on a shirt, then you can go back to playing your mindless shooting game.”

“I was actually reading, but whatever.” Cole crossed his arms and looked up at the two collared shirts. Hank knew his son was not a fan of his fashion sense, if you even wanted to call it that. One was a dark blue color with lighter blue swirls throughout the torso area, and the other was a light pink with a few vertical red stripes.

“God dad, you literally chose the worst two shirts.” Cole v-lined straight to his dad’s closet. He went directly for a button up and held it up, “This is your only not weird shirt. It’s plain and doesn’t have a scary pattern that will scare him.”

It was a plain white button up. Hank purposely didn’t chose that because he figured it would be a little tight on him. Sighing again, he discarded the two shirts on his bed and grabbed the one Cole was holding.

“Fine, you win. Now go get ready to go to your aunt’s, we’re leaving in ten minutes.”

Cole just shrugged and exited the room. 

Hank was thankful he had such a good kid. He hardly ever complained, and liked to do things like  _ read _ instead of playing video games or getting himself into trouble. At his age, Hank couldn’t say he was doing the same. 

After trimming his beard and putting on some cologne, Hank buttoned up the white shirt, thankful that it still fit him. A little tight, sure, but doable. At least, according to his nine year old son, who gave him a thumbs up before exiting the house.

His sister also whistled at him as he dropped Cole off. “You even  _ smell _ nice! Aw Hank, I’m so happy for you.”

He rolled his eyes, “Don’t get your hopes up, I’m sure Ashton Kutcher is going to come out of the bushes half way through the date to tell me this was all a joke.”

His sister’s matching blue eyes looked at him with sadness, “Hank, do you really think that? You’re so fucking hard on yourself...I hate it.”

“Maybe I’ll be a little more optimistic at the end of the night.” 

“It’ll go great, I promise,” she pulled him in for a hug, “now leave, you’re going to be late. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Eleven tonight, Em,”

She just smiled and shrugged, “Whatever you say, just text me if you’re going to be late.” She winked before shutting the door.

The drive to Connor's place was filled with loud heavy metal music, which didn’t allow Hank’s brain to wander off into negative thoughts.

  
  


[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141457797/in/dateposted-public/)

“Niles! Have you seen my brown loafers?”

Silence.

“Nile-”

“Gavin may have borrowed them.”

Connor stuck his head out of his bathroom to stare at his brother, who was playing on his iPad on the couch.

“I’m sorry, did you just tell me your ex boyfriend--”

“Boyfriend, actually.”

Connor scowled, “Fantastic! Then tell him to bring me back my shoes!”

Niles rolled his eyes, “I’m supposed to meet him in twenty minutes, he’s probably already at the bar. Just wear your black ones.”

“My black ones. Do not match. The outfit. I picked out.”

Niles sighed and got up from the couch and walked into Connor’s room over to the closet, which was messy, to say the least. Connor was usually the neat one between the two of them, but in his pre date haze, decided to discard any article of clothing he deemed unwearable to the floor. 

He dug out a pair of light brown shoes, that looked to be a fancy version of a pair of sneakers. “What about these?” Niles asked his brother, who was frantically tying a slim forest green colored tie in a floor length mirror near his bedroom door. 

Connor made eye contact with his twin through his reflection, “I suppose that will have to do in this time constraint.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t have three backup outfits planned for this occasion. It’s very unlike you, brother.”

Connor stomped across the room and grabbed the shoes out of his sibling’s hands, “All of my outfits in my head revolved around my brown loafers. Thank Gavin for me by slapping him, will you?”

Niles gave a lopsided grin and shrugged, “There might be some slapping involved tonight, yes.”

“Ugh. Please. Stop.” Connor made a sound of disgust before walking out of the room, checking his hair in the mirror one last time.

“You look fine, stop fussing.”

Hank and him were to meet at Le Fleur, a fancy French restaurant in downtown Detroit. Hank insisted on the location, saying he had an in with the chef. Going somewhere so nice worried Connor. Not that he was not used to going to such high end places; he spent most of his childhood at fancy places with his mother. But the atmosphere for a first date that was  _ that _ romantic? 

He would have been fine with a coffee date, maybe even IHOP. Not  _ Le Fleur _ on a regular ole Wednesday night with someone who already makes his heart race just by  _ looking _ at him…

His phone buzzed in his pocket.  _ I’m outside. _

Hank had given him his number the day after asking him out, since he realized having it would probably be a good thing. Or, well, he gave his number to Niles, to give to Connor later, through the phone, because Hank was elbows deep in dough and had not had the time to take the two seconds to hop over next door.

“Okay Niles, I’ll see you later. Have fun with your once-ex-now-not-ex dumb boyfriend.”

He smiled, “I will. Have fun with your not-yet-maybe-soon-boyfriend.”

Connor matched his smiled, “Aw, look at you, being positive for once.” Connor ruffled his brother’s hair (having to almost get on his tippy-toes) and fled before he could retaliate.

Hank’s car was an older model, which didn’t necessarily match Hank’s outsides (Connor  _ knew _ he looked good for his age, despite the grey hair), but it was fitting regardless. Hank had the car in park and got out to open the door for Connor.

The younger man smirked, “Oh, a gentleman I see. Thank you very much.”

“Nothing but the most respect for the one and only bet winner.”

Connor slid in to the front passenger seat, and immediately noticed the smell of a newly opened air freshener. 

_ Black Ice? Really Hank… _

Hank closed the door and walked to the drivers side and closed his door with a thud. He immediately reached for the music and turned it up, just a little bit. 

He couldn’t really blame Hank for the silence. He dislikes it, too, to a degree. 

“You look nice.” Connor said, with smooth jazz playing softly in the background.

Hank did not take his eyes off the road, “Ah, thanks. You look…” he turned to look at Connor, his eyes lingering on his neck for a second before turning to keep looking forward, “pretty fucking hot.”

Connor couldn’t help but laugh, “So the green tie was a winner, I see.”

“No, just...you, Connor. You’re hot. Always. You could have worn a trash bag and a bow-tie tonight and I would still think you’re beautiful.”

Connor had nothing to say to that. A lump formed in his throat. His last relationship was so long ago, and it ended so badly. He had customers hit on him from time to time, but their words were meaningless. Vibrations in the air that made it to his ears, but did not retain.

Hank looked at him with desire, but it was well received. Not as a piece of meat, but as a fine filet, something expensive, that he had to earn. The thought sent a shiver up his spine.

“That’s very nice of you, Hank. I also think highly of you.”

“I’m still wrapping my head around this whole thing, ya know.”

Connor hesitated, “Is it the age difference? I mean, I am older than I look, if that makes you feel--”

“Not just that. I...you, you’re a good egg. You are very successful at whatever young age you appear to be or not. I have so much baggage and shit behind me, and you appear to be a clean slate. I’m sure you could do better…”

Connor put his hand over Hank’s, which was resting on the bottom portion of the steering wheel, “Before you go on, I just want to set some rules about this date. Rule number one: no bad mouthing yourself. You are handsome, funny, and this ‘baggage’ that you claim to have is nothing but experience, which is something I  _ wish _ I had.”

“I--”

“Two,” Connor took his hand off of Hank’s, “You do not assume anything of me or my past. You simply have to ask if you’re interested in a certain aspect. I might be a successful businessman, but there are many aspects of my life I wish I could change or redo.”

It was hard to read Hank’s expression when he was looking straight forward. Just from the side angle, Connor could tell that he at least unclenched a little.

“Okay, sound like simple rules to me.”

“Good.”

Connor looked at Hank one last time and saw him smile. That made him unclench a little as well.

Hank had made them reservations, so they were sat immediately. The restaurant was busy for a weeknight, the soft mumbles of pleasant conversations surrounding the two men.

They were seated towards the back corner of the place, towards the double doors that lead to the kitchen. A small table made for just two people, and a small candle adorned the white silk tablecloth.

Connor  _ knew _ he wasn’t underdressed, but he still  _ felt _ underdressed. 

He pulled on the collar of his shirt. He also knew that inside of the fine eating establishment was most likely cool, but seated in the intimate setting, alone, with a particularly handsome man, was not doing well for his core body temperature. 

The waiter handed them both a menu, rambled off some specials of the night, and made his way to fetch them waters.

Connor looked up from his menu for a second to find Hank staring and smiling.

  
  


[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141461512/in/dateposted-public/)

“Can I help you with something?” Connor teased.

“You look nervous as fuck.”

The waiter had brought them waters, and Connor tried not to drink his all in one go around. It would just reenforce Hank’s opinion, which, of course, was correct.

He supposed there was not much he could get past him, with his ex employer being the police department.

“Treating me like a suspect, Lieutenant?” Connor asked, his tone still light.

Hank didn’t falter, but even in the low light Connor could see his that his face turned a shade pinker. 

“Oh, trust me, if you were a suspect things would be going a  _ lot _ differently right now.”

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141365116/in/dateposted-public/)

The date continued with good food and good conversation. Connor was not afraid to talk about his past, revealing memories from his childhood up until yesterday’s awkward lunch with his mother. Hank sat and listened, chiming in on occasion to ask a question, or comment on a particular story. Hank didn’t mind sitting back and listening, because Connor had a way of telling stories and putting you smack dab in the middle of them.

His eyes would light up, his hands would make motions, and his  _ laugh _ . While Connor was a good storyteller, Hank was often distracted by the atmosphere he was creating. 

It has been a long time since Hank felt this way.

After they finished their meals, Hank suggested they go for a walk around the area. Even though they were in the heart of the city, there was not much activity, being a weeknight and all. 

They came to a stop at a nearby park, where children and teenagers were using the fields to play games of soccer. Some looked organized, and other groups looked like they were playing for fun.

“Does Cole play sports?” Connor asked. 

“Cole? No, he...he prefers to stay inside to read.”

Connor smiled, “Seems like he’s somewhat of an introvert.”

“Suppose so. Don’t know how to handle it. I was a lot more different than he was at his age. I’d probably be out here with friends kicking a ball around, or getting into fights or something.”

Connor rested his hand on Hank’s elbow for a moment, “You know Hank, having a kid that likes to sit inside and read and not get into trouble is an okay thing.” 

Hank shrugged, “If you say so. I worry about him sometimes. A lot, actually.”

The retired detective was not usually one for sentimentality, especially on the first date. His son was his entire life, yet he was hesitant to talk about him. He had known the other man for such a short period of time, yet he felt himself slipping. He shouldn’t want to tell him his life story, share secrets or feelings with him.

Yet here they were, on a warm evening with the stars barely visible through the city lights, talking like old friends.

“If you don’t mind me asking, where’s Cole’s mother?”

A whistle blew in the distance and kids started to cheer. They had been leaning against a pony wall that separated the sporting fields from the walking path. Hank’s body sagged against the wall and he rubbed his face in his hands.

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me.”

Hank didn’t have to look at Connor to know he was sporting an impressive puppy dog face. “It’s okay, just a sensitive subject. Not sure where she is. Last time I checked, somewhere in New Mexico. But that was years ago.”

He might have had his buddy in the fugitive apprehension squad keep tabs on her from time to time. If anyone asked, she did have a few months of back pay of child support that she owed him anyway. 

Hank felt a hand on his elbow again, but it lingered this time, “You’re a good man, Hank. Your situation is not ideal, but I can tell you’ve been an amazing father to your son. You’ve done more than most in your place.”

Connor’s hand was about to drop when Hank lifted his own, grabbing the other man’s hand. His face turned a light crimson, which Hank could even see in the dark. Connor’s gaze continued to stay down, staring at their hands intertwining. Fingers laced and Hank subconsciously worried his hands were clammy. 

“What are you doing?” Hank asked softly.

Connor froze, “I...assumed you wanted to hold my hand…”

“No, with me. With this,” he gestured between the two of the with his free hand.

“Well, I assumed you were the perceptive one, but if I have to explain it to you,” Connor grabbed Hank’s other hand so they were now facing each other, “You’re a sweet man, you have a great sense of humor, you are a great dad to your son. You also happen to be  _ very _ ,” he squeezed both hands, “attractive. I have a sense you don’t believe me.”

Although Connor was a tall man, he still had to lean up to kiss Hank. It was chaste, light, with a slight parting of his lips before pulling away.

Hank didn’t realize he had closed his eyes until he opened them to see a blushing Connor in front of him, most likely waiting for a response.

“Well, you do make a good argument. I’m going to have to gather more evidence to be sure…”

Hank kissed him again, cupping the sides of Connor’s face in the process. He could feel Connor’s lips tug into a smile. 

  
  


[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141365116/in/dateposted-public/) [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/182260971@N02/48141457797/in/dateposted-public/)

EPILOGUE 

“Whoa, kid, put that thing down!”

Gavin wasn’t about to let his boyfriend’s brother’s boyfriend’s son injure himself while he was in charge of him. It was only five minutes since Hank and Connor left to go take care of some business for Hank’s donut shop.

Cole currently had a large sledgehammer in his hands. His current target was the large wall to the right of the entrance of his father’s shop. 

“Your dad and Connor said you had to wait until they got back to do any sort of damage.”

Cole sighed loudly and dropped the large hammer,  _ “Fine _ . If you say so.”

“Yeah, go do something productive and grab your phone and accept my gift in PokemonGo.” Gavin took out his own phone and shook it back and forth.

“You’re such a nerd,” Cole said with a smile. He ran into the back room to retrieve his cell phone.

Gavin usually spent his days off lounging around his home, maybe with his boyfriend there. Or going to the gym. Or seeing his mother. Not babysitting his boyfriend’s brother’s boyfriend’s kid. 

But, this was a big day for Hank and Connor. They were tearing down a large portion of their wall to combine their shops.

He knew his boyfriend wasn’t fond of the idea at first, especially since Hank and Connor only had their first anniversary before proposing the idea of combining their livelihoods like this. Sure, they already moved in with each other, already were planning on getting married...but this dragged his boyfriend into the picture. And Niles cared about his job more than anything. Well,  _ almost _ everything.

Twenty minutes later, which was mostly filled with Cole arguing just exactly was Arcanine was the best Pokemon, Hank and Connor returned with Niles in tow. They were carrying all sorts of construction supplies. 

They were going to do most of the demolition, and were having actual contractors coming over later that day to make everything look pretty. 

“Hey buddy,” Hank set down the tools he was carrying and ruffled his son’s hair. “You ready to break some shit?”

“Yeah!” Cole ran to retain his discarded sledgehammer.

“Now Cole, put these on,” Connor threw him a pair of clear safety goggles and small work gloves, “and make sure to his only on the X.”

“Okay,” Cole put on the goggles and gloves and grabbed the hammer again, lifting his to position himself.

“You ready?”

“Yeah! Count me down.”

Gavin joined Niles and helped him put away some supplies they retrieved at the store, but the two kept their eyes on Cole.

Niles glanced at Connor, who had not stopped smiling all day. He wasn’t sure of this new business adventure. After all, everything his brother and him had earned these past few years were essentially on the line.

But seeing Connor happy didn’t have a price. He deserved to live the life he wanted. 

And, he supposed Hank wasn’t a bad guy either. And Cole was slowly growing on him. 

“One,” Connor said cheerfully as Cole leaned back.

“Two,” Hank added.

“Three!” Cole cheered and the large hammer went straight through the drywall. The adults in the room clapped and cheered. Cole struggled taking the hammer out of the wall, which Hank noticed and came to his rescue.

After the first hole, the rest of the adults worked little by little to remove three-fourths of the wall, opening up the new space. Sure, the floors were different, one tile, one wood. The wallpaper was significantly different. Even the ceilings differed.

But it was now joined as one. Both places unique and of their own, now going to be living under one roof. 

Hank put an arm around Connor and he leaned into him. 

Their shops were not much different than themselves, and combining them was somewhat of a symbol of the love they had for each other. It was the place they met, place they kissed, they cried, they fought, but most of all, the place they fell in love.

And with Gavin play fighting with Cole in the background, Niles yelling at them to stop, and the smile on Connor’s face, Hank knew he was right where he belonged.

THE END


End file.
